When West Bloomfield Township resident Emily Stillman, 19, complained to her friends about a severe and sudden headache -- they didn't imagine it was a result of bacterial meningitis.

And, only two days after going to a hospital, complications of the infection led to the teenager's death.

Some students at Andover High School, where Stillman graduated in 2011, didn't come to school on Monday because they were grieving her death.

Danielle Harsh, an English teacher at Andover, was Stillman's forensics coach throughout her four years of high school. Senior year, Stillman was captain of the team and was a state champion for her Duel Interpretation speech.

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"I will miss everything about her. She was even coming back last year and helping out the team. She was so kind-hearted," Harsh said with tears in her eyes. "She was too young."

Stillman, a sophomore at Kalamazoo College, lived in Crissey Residence Hall. Her head started to hurt around midnight Thursday. College officials report that, more than an hour later, she told fellow students that the pain was unbearable. Her friends contacted the college and, at 2 a.m. Friday, she was transported to Bronson Hospital, where she died Sunday morning.

Dean of Students Sarah Westfall said Stillman's friends are shocked that this happened so suddenly. Stillman was well known at Kalamazoo College for her involvement in the theater program.

"She was a very social person. She had a lot of friends across campus," Westfall said. "Students describe her as having a very good sense of humor, very vibrant, lively and a very loyal friend."

Westfall said Stillman was close with her family. Stillman's sister was studying overseas in Brazil and came home as soon as she heard Stillman was in the hospital.

"(Her family) has come together as they try to think of life without their daughter and sister and granddaughter and niece," Westfall said. "It was important for the family to be together. And I think when the family knew it was as serious as it was, they wanted to be sure that everybody was able to see her before the end of her life."

This year, incoming freshmen at Kalamazoo College are required to get a meningitis vaccination. Stillman missed this new requirement by one year.

"Her family shared that she had the vaccine several years ago, but the medical advice is to have it boosted every five years," Westfall said.

"We've been encouraging (the vaccine) for a long time, but we just started making it mandatory. We hope that students and families will understand that this is a disease that can be deadly and can progress very rapidly."

Bacterial meningitis is contagious, and the bacteria is spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions. At Kalamazoo College, 120 people who came in close contact with Stillman received oral antibiotics as a precautionary treatment. No additional cases of bacterial meningitis have been reported at the school. Health officials say the likelihood of additional cases at Kalamazoo College is low.

Dr. Sanford Vieder, medical director of Lakes Urgent Care in West Bloomfield Township, confirmed that people, especially teens and seniors, are advised to get booster shots against meningitis every five years.

"The symptoms can mimic a lot of different things," Vieder said. "The most classic symptoms of meningitis are an unrelenting headache, even if you take Tylenol. Generally there's a high fever as well as nausea, vomiting and neck stiffness early on. As the symptoms progress, you can begin to see mental status changes, like confusion, difficulty concentrating and even delirium."

Vieder said a huge red flag, in addition to a headache or fever, is a rash, known as petechia, all over the body.

"It looks like small blood blisters without a raised surface," he said. "It's dark red or purplish dots all over the body. They're actually small blood vessels which have broken and hemorrhaged under the skin because of the bacteria in the blood stream."

Vieder said anyone with these symptoms needs immediate medical attention.

"Time is absolutely critical," he said. "It progresses very quickly -- within hours. ... It's not an ordinary illness."

Vieder, who knows the Stillman family, called the death a "tragedy."

"It's a senseless loss. I feel terrible for the family. I have children the same age, and to think about losing one of my kids because of something like this, would be horrible to endure," he said.

On Sunday evening, about 350 students and facility of Kalamazoo College filled the pews of Stetson Chapel on campus to remember the 19-year-old. And counselors have been working overtime the last two days to speak with students. The school has arranged a bus to take students to Stillman's funeral in Farmington Hills on Tuesday morning.

"This is a small campus and, even though I didn't know Emily personally, it hits a small community hard," said College Spokesman Jeff Palmer. "It reminds you of the fragility of life."

The Oakland County Health Division offers meningitis vaccines at its walk-in clinics for $111 cash at 1200 North Telegraph, Building 34 East, in Pontiac, and at 27725 Greenfield Road in Southfield. The clinics are open noon to 8 p.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.